The Powerhouses of Amputee Football - Liberia’s “Lone Stars”

Used as a tool to help overcome the discrimination against amputees and the disabled, the Amputee Football Championship is a tournament dedicated to appreciating the athleticism and skill of those who often feel unwanted by their surrounding society and even struggle to survive, as profiled by Chicago Tribune photographer Kuni Takahashi. The Guardian did a wonderful profile on Liberia’s amputee footballers last year, in which an amputee footballer so vehnemently stated that playing amputee football is “like psychological counselling. Before we played most of us never accepted our condition. Now we accept it."

This tournament is a celebration of the human spirit, of human dignity. Liberia, the winners of the 2011 African Cup of Nations of Amputee Football, will go to Iran for the world championship of Amputee Football after beating Ghana 4-2.